Samantha Potrykus
If you have seen Samantha Potrykus perform, you are aware of her commitment to character and how dynamic she is on stage. Most recently Samantha charmed me in Rover’s Butterflies are Free as the free-spirited hippie Jill Tanner and just this month Samantha was a comic marvel as Graciela in Rover’s Artifice, stealing scene after scene. But there is much more to this graduate of Booker T. Washington High and the University of Tulsa. Samantha longs to get her teeth into some tough dramatic roles. Take a few moments to get to know one of DFW’s most talented actors.
When was your first time on stage?
My first time on stage was when I was 7 and I was one of the “boys in the band” in the Music Man. My parents sent me and my sister to theater camp one summer and I caught the bug. I went back every year.
When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
Probably not long after being one of the boys in the band. I remember being on stage, surrounded by my friends, making something fun and thinking, “I don’t want this to end.” I still feel that way.
Who is your greatest mentor?
Outside of my mother (who told me not to use her because it is “cliché”), it would be Tom Whalen. He and I met when I was an apprentice at the Purple Rose Theatre Company. He was working there as an actor, and we hit it off quickly. He has since remained a confidant, ally, and creative partner. He is an incredible artist. He pushes me to keep going and remember what’s important.
What role have you enjoyed the most in your career so far?
Probably Jenny in Dry Powder at Second Thought Theatre. She is such a fun character and unlike any I have done. With the help of the fantastic director, Carson McCain, I got to do some fun digging and character work.
Do you have a dream role?
This is probably a “cliché” answer (to quote my mother) but Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. And Hedda in Hedda Gabler. And Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. What icons!
What person(s) would you like to be on stage with?
Lord, Judi Dench! What a powerhouse. Or Julia Louis-Dreyfus. What incredible, talented, funny women. Why not dream big?
What performances have you seen that impressed you?
Locally, Clybourne Park and Fly by Night at The Dallas Theater Center were shows that have stuck with me. They were incredibly moving. Fly by Night is probably one of my favorite musicals and favorite theatre experiences ever. In London I saw Ruth Wilson play Hedda in Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre. That blew my mind. I had never seen a show done with that level of support and been appreciated by the audience as much as it was. In general, any of the cast members in “Succession” on HBO. That show is gold.
What are your career goals?
To work as an actor. Seems simple, but to make my life’s work my art. To be fully employed as an artist, whether performing, directing, teaching, artistic directing – that is the absolute dream.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
That I moved from Dallas to a small town in Michigan to work at Jeff Daniel’s theatre for a year making $250 a week as an apprentice. I believe in the value of education and will do anything to be involved in the theatre. I also believe that the arts should be funded! But maybe that’s not surprising.
